East African fossil record

For almost a century East Africa has been a prime location for paleoanthropological research. Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania all share an extensive record of not only fossil hominins but other primates, mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish. This range of paleontological material aids in answering questions relevant to human origins and paleoenvironments. Geologically, eastern Africa offers pristine conditions for the preservation of fossils due to the stratigraphic layers of fluvial and lacustrine sediments fixed between volcanic ashes that are easily datable. Some of the major finds in paleoanthropology in the past century have been in East Africa and have included the most extensive record of Australopithecus , earliest Homo , and earliest Homo sapiens . Work continues in this region of Africa, as some of the most active field sites as well as newly surveyed regions still produce impressive assemblages of fossils, filling the slowly closing gaps in the human fossil record.